TWI727940B - Sensing apparatus, display apparatus, and method of sensing electrical signal - Google Patents

Abstract

A sensing apparatus that senses electrical signals of a plurality of pixels arranged in rows or columns. The sensing apparatus includes a plurality of sensing circuits configured to sense electrical signals through sensing lines that correspond to the columns of the pixels, a first switch configured to connect a first sensing line of the sensing lines that corresponds to a first pixel column of the columns of the pixels and a first sensing circuit of the sensing circuits that corresponds to the first pixel column; and a second switch configured to connect the first sensing line and a second sensing circuit of the sensing circuits different from the first sensing circuit.

Description

Sensing device, display device, and method for sensing electrical signals

This application claims the priority and rights of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2015-0016738 filed at the Korean Intellectual Property Office on February 3, 2015, and the disclosure content of the Korean Patent Application The full text is incorporated herein by reference.

One or more exemplary embodiments relate to a sensing device, a display device, and a method of sensing an electrical signal.

With the development of multimedia technology, a flat display device has become increasingly important. In this regard, flat display devices such as liquid crystal display devices, plasma display devices, and organic light-emitting display devices have been commonly used.

However, not all manufacturing processes are the same, and the driving time can be different for each of the thin film transistors. Each pixel may have different threshold voltage/mobility characteristics for its driving transistor. Therefore, even when the same data voltage is applied to each pixel, the amount of current flowing through the driving transistor of each pixel may be different. The current difference between the driving transistors of the pixels causes a brightness difference between the pixels, which degrades the uniformity of a display screen and causes a display unevenness effect (mura effect).

One or more example embodiments include a sensing device, a display device, and a method of sensing an electrical signal.

Other aspects will partly be stated in the following description, and partly will be obvious from the description or can be learned by practicing the provided embodiments.

According to one or more exemplary embodiments, a sensing device for sensing a plurality of electrical signals of a plurality of pixels arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows, the sensing device includes: a plurality of sensing circuits for passing A plurality of sensing lines corresponding to the rows of the pixels to sense the electrical signals; a first switch for connecting to one of the sensing lines corresponding to one of the first pixel rows of the pixel rows A first sensing line and one of the sensing circuits corresponding to the first pixel row; and a second switch for connecting the first sensing line and the sensing circuits that are different from the One of the first sensing circuits is a second sensing circuit.

In some embodiments, the second sensing circuit is adjacent to the first sensing circuit.

In some embodiments, the second sensing circuit corresponds to a second pixel row adjacent to the first pixel row among the pixel rows.

In some embodiments, the sensing circuits respectively correspond to k pixel rows arranged one after another in the pixel rows, and the first sensing circuit corresponds to a first pixel row to a k-th pixel row, the The first switch is used to connect the sensing lines corresponding to the first pixel row to the k-th pixel row of the pixel rows and the first sensing circuit, and the second switch is used to connect corresponding to At least one of the sensing lines from the first pixel row to the k-th pixel row and the second sensing circuit.

In some embodiments, the second sensing circuit corresponds to one of the pixel rows from the k+1th pixel row to the 2kth pixel row and is adjacent to the first sensing circuit, and the first switch It is used to connect the sensing lines and the second sensing circuit respectively corresponding to the k+1 pixel row to the 2k pixel row.

In some embodiments, the sensing device further includes a dummy switch connected to some of the sensing lines, wherein some of the sensing lines are not connected to the corresponding first Pixel row to the second sensing circuit of the k-th pixel row.

In some embodiments, a load of the dummy switch is the same or substantially the same as a load of the second switch.

In some embodiments, each of the sensing circuits includes an analog-to-digital converter, and the electrical signals are the voltages of the light-emitting devices of the pixels.

In some embodiments, the sensing circuits include an integrator and an analog-digital converter, and the electrical signals are the driving currents of the light-emitting devices of the pixels.

According to one or more exemplary embodiments, a display device includes: a display panel including a plurality of pixels arranged in a plurality of columns and rows, and a plurality of sensing lines corresponding to the rows; and a sensing device, A plurality of electrical signals for sensing the pixels, wherein the sensing device includes: a plurality of sensing circuits for sensing the electrical signals through the sensing lines corresponding to the rows of the pixels ; A first switch for connecting a first sensing line corresponding to one of the first pixel rows among the sensing lines and one of the first pixel rows corresponding to the first pixel rows among the sensing circuits A sensing circuit; and a second switch for connecting the first sensing line and a second sensing circuit different from the first sensing circuit among the sensing circuits.

According to one or more exemplary embodiments, a method for sensing a plurality of electrical signals of a plurality of pixels arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows by using a sensing device, the sensing device includes a plurality of sensing circuits, and The sensing circuit obtains the electrical signals of the pixels through the plurality of sensing lines corresponding to the rows of the pixels and respectively corresponds to the pixel rows. The method includes: by sensing the pixel rows One of the first pixel rows contained in one of the first pixel rows corresponds to one of the first pixel rows of the first pixel rows in the sensing circuits. A sensing circuit obtains a sensing signal x1; by sensing an electrical signal of the first pixel, a sensing signal y1 is obtained through one of the sensing circuits and a second sensing circuit; and based on the sensing A difference between the sensing signal x1 and the sensing signal y1 is calculated to calculate a characteristic change d between the first sensing circuit and the second sensing circuit.

In some embodiments, the method further includes sensing an electrical signal of one of the second pixels contained in one of the second pixel rows in one of the pixel rows, by corresponding to the The second sensing circuit of the second pixel row obtains a sensing signal x2; and using the characteristic change d to compensate the sensing signal x1 or the sensing signal x2.

In some embodiments, compensating the sensing signal x1 or the sensing signal x2 includes compensating the sensing signal x2, and the method further includes: outputting the sensing signal x1 as a sensing data of the first pixel ; And output a compensated sensing signal x2 as one of the sensing data of the second pixel.

In some embodiments, the second pixel row is adjacent to the first pixel row, and the second sensing circuit is adjacent to the first sensing circuit.

In some embodiments, the sensing device further includes: a first switch connecting a first sensing line corresponding to the first pixel row among the sensing lines and the first sensing circuit; and a second A switch connecting the first sensing line and the second sensing circuit, wherein in the step of obtaining the sensing signal x1, the sensing signal x1 is obtained when the first switch is closed and the second switch is open And in the step of obtaining the sensing signal y1, the sensing signal y1 is obtained when the first switch is opened and the second switch is closed.

91~93: Operation

100: display panel

200: sensing device

210: Sensing data output unit

a1~an: electrical signal

C1~Cn: the first pixel row to the nth pixel row

DS: Dummy switch

PS1: The first switch enables the signal

PS2: The second switch enables the signal

PX: pixel

PX1~PXn: pixel

S1: First switch

S2: second switch

SC: Sensing circuit

SC1~SC3: the first sensing circuit to the third sensing circuit

SL: Sensing line

SL1~SL3: the first sensing line to the third sensing line

x1~xn: sensing signal

y1~yn-1: sense signal

Reading the following description of the exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, these and/or other aspects will become obvious and easier to understand. In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 illustrates a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 illustrates a detailed view of the sensing device 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 3 illustrates a state where the first switch S1 shown in Fig. 2 is closed; Fig. 4 illustrates the second switch shown in Fig. 2 S2 is a closed state; Fig. 5 illustrates another embodiment of the sensing device 200; Fig. 6 illustrates a state where the first switch S1 shown in Fig. 5 is closed; Fig. 7 illustrates a second switch shown in Fig. 5 S2 is a closed state; FIG. 8 illustrates a sensing device 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing how to obtain sensing data according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The inventive concept will now be explained more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the elements (or components) of the embodiments of the present invention are shown. The technical effects of the present invention are not limited to this, and those with ordinary knowledge in the art will understand other unmentioned technical effects based on the following description. However, the inventive concept can be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein.

Refer to the accompanying drawings for illustrating exemplary embodiments in order to achieve a full understanding of the implementation of the embodiments of the present invention. Hereinafter, the inventive concept will be explained in detail by explaining exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in the drawings represent the same elements (or components).

It will be understood that although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe various components, elements, regions, layers and/or sections, these components, elements, regions, layers and/or sections Do not Should be restricted by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component, element, region, layer and/or section from another component, element, region, layer and/or section. Therefore, a first element, component, region, layer or section described below can be referred to as a second element, component, region, layer or section, which does not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form "一 (a and an)" used in this article is intended to also include the plural form. It should be understood that the term "comprise, includes, including, include, comprises and/or comprising" used in this article refers to the existence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and/or components, but does not The existence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements and/or components is not excluded. For the convenience of explanation, the size of elements (or components) in the drawings can be enlarged. In other words, since the size and thickness of the components in the drawings can be arbitrarily illustrated for convenience of explanation, the following invention is not limited to these sizes and thicknesses.

The term "and/or" used in this article includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items. When placed before a list of elements, expressions such as "at least one of" modify the entire list of elements and do not modify individual elements of the list. In addition, "may" used in describing the embodiments of the present invention refers to "one or more embodiments of the present invention". In addition, the term "exemplary" is intended to refer to an instance or illustration.

It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being “on”, “connected to”, “coupled to” another element or layer, “connected” with another element or layer, “connected with” another element or layer When another element or layer is “coupled”, or “adjacent to” another element or layer, the element or layer can be “directly” on the other element or layer, “directly connected to”, “ "Directly coupled to" the other element or layer, "directly connected to" the other element or layer, "directly coupled to" the other element or layer, or "directly adjacent to" the other element Or layers, or there may be one or more intermediate elements or layers. In addition, those who are familiar with this technology will understand that "connection (connected)" etc. can also refer to "electrical connection (electrically connect)", etc., depending on the usage It depends on the context of these terms. When an element or layer is referred to as being "directly" on, "directly connected to", "directly coupled to" another element or layer, or "directly connected" to another element or layer When “directly coupled” with another element or layer, or “adjacent to” another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers.

The term "use (use, using, and used)" used in this article can be regarded as synonymous with the term "utilize (utilize, utilizing, and utilized)", respectively.

Those familiar with this technology should also realize that it can be implemented through hardware, firmware (for example, through an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), or through software, firmware, and/or hardware. Combine forms to perform the process. In addition, as those skilled in the art realize, the sequence of steps in the process is not fixed, but can be changed to any desired sequence. The modified sequence can include all steps, or part of these steps.

Figure 1 illustrates a display device according to an embodiment.

According to an embodiment, the display device may include a display panel 100 and a sensing device 200. According to an embodiment, the display panel 100 of the display device may include a plurality of pixels PX for displaying an image. The display device may be an organic emission display device, and each pixel PX may include a pixel circuit and a light emitting device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the types of display devices according to different embodiments may vary. Although only one pixel PX is illustrated in FIG. 1, the display panel 100 may include a plurality of pixels PX formed as a matrix, wherein the pixels PX are arranged in a plurality of columns and rows of the matrix.

Although not illustrated in Figure 1, a plurality of scan lines and a plurality of data lines may be formed in the display panel 100, and the pixels PX may be formed in corresponding areas defined by crossing the scan lines and the data lines. The display device may further include a scan driver for applying a scan signal to a scan line, a data driver for applying a data signal to a data line, a controller, a memory and/or similar devices .

One of the scan lines connected to the pixels PX in a row transmits a scan signal to the pixels PX. One of the data lines connected to the pixel PX in a row transmits a data signal to the pixel PX.

A sensing line SL is provided for each row of pixels PX on the display panel 100. The sensing line SL transmits an electrical signal of each pixel PX to the sensing device 200. Hereinafter, one or more embodiments have one sensing line SL corresponding to each row of the pixel PX, but the invention is not limited to this. The sensing line SL may correspond to two or more rows of pixels PX, and the display panel 100 may include more lines than those illustrated in the drawing.

The sensing device 200 senses the electrical signal of the pixel PX included in the display panel 100, and outputs the sensing data of each pixel PX. The sensing device 200 can be configured as an integrated circuit or an integrated circuit package containing a plurality of semiconductor components.

The sensing device 200 may include a plurality of sensing circuits SC and a sensing data output unit (for example, a sensing data exporter) 210. Each of the sensing circuits SC obtains an electrical signal of the pixel PX through a sensing line SL to output a sensing signal. The electrical signal may have an analog value, and the sensing signal may have a digital value, but the invention is not limited to this. The sensing data output unit 210 processes the sensing signal to output sensing data.

The sensing circuit SC is provided on at least one row of the pixel PX, and obtains an electrical signal of each pixel PX by providing a sensing line SL for each row of the pixel PX to output a sensing signal. The sensing circuit SC may include a device such as an analog-digital converter (ADC) or an integrator. For example, the sensing circuit SC may include an analog-to-digital converter for sensing an end-to-end voltage of a light-emitting device of a pixel PX. In some embodiments, the sensing circuit SC may include an analog-to-digital converter and an integrator for sensing a driving current of a light-emitting device of a pixel PX. However, the sensing circuit SC is not limited to this, and may include other or different components or elements.

According to an embodiment, the sensing device 200 uses a plurality of sensing circuits SC instead of one sensing circuit SC to sense the electrical signal of each pixel PX included in the display panel 100. In this regard, a characteristic change of the sensing circuit SC can cause an error in a sensing value of the electrical signal.

The sensing circuit SC may include an analog-digital converter, and the analog-digital converter may have a gain error and an offset error. In a manufacturing process of a data-driven integrated circuit, the process conditions may change, and therefore, there may be errors or deviations between various ratio-to-digital converters in the data-driven integrated circuit.

According to an embodiment, the sensing device 200 obtains a characteristic change between the sensing circuits SC to compensate for a sensing error caused by a characteristic change between the sensing circuits SC, and compensates for a sensing result by considering the characteristic change . According to an embodiment, the sensing device 200 does not use a predetermined constant value as a characteristic change between the sensing circuits SC, but uses a first switch S1 and a second switch S2 to directly calculate the characteristic change (see section 2 pictures). Therefore, even when a characteristic change among the sensing circuits SC of a display device is changed after manufacturing, an accurate characteristic change can be calculated to compensate for the change in the sensing result. Later, a detailed method will be explained by referring to the drawings.

According to an embodiment, a display device obtains sensing data of an electrical signal of a pixel PX, and therefore analyzes a characteristic change of the pixel PX to compensate for the image data. In this regard, it is possible to reduce an image moiré (for example, unevenness; irregularity; lack of uniformity; or non-uniformity) effect caused by a characteristic change of a pixel PX.

FIG. 2 illustrates a detailed view of the sensing device 200 according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 2, according to an embodiment, the sensing device 200 may include a plurality of sensing circuits SC, a plurality of first switches S1, and a plurality of second switches S2.

A sensing circuit SC can be provided to correspond to at least one pixel row, and in Figure 2, the sensing circuit SC is provided to correspond to each of the pixel rows included in the display panel 100. The sensing circuit SC obtains an electrical signal of a pixel PX through a sensing line SL to output a sensing signal. For example, when an electrical signal has an analog value, the sensing circuit SC converts the electrical signal with an analog value into a sensing signal with a digital value to output the sensing signal.

A first switch S1 and a second switch S2 are connected to a sensing line SL and a sensing circuit SC. The first switch S1 will be provided to connect a sensing line corresponding to a certain pixel row to a first sensing circuit provided to correspond to the certain pixel row. The second switch S2 will be provided to connect a sensing line corresponding to the certain pixel row to a second sensing circuit. In other words, an electrical signal transmitted through the sensing line provided to correspond to the certain pixel row is sensed by the first sensing circuit when the first switch S1 is closed, and is sensed by the second sensing circuit when the second switch S2 is closed. The sensing circuit senses. Therefore, an electrical signal is sensed twice by different sensing circuits. When considering the layout design of a wiring and device, the second sensing circuit can be formed adjacent to the first sensing circuit, but the invention is not limited to this.

For example, the first switch S1 connects a first sensing line SL1 corresponding to a first pixel row C1 and a first sensing circuit SC1 corresponding to the first pixel row C1. A second switch S2 illustrated in FIG. 2 connects the first sensing line SL1 corresponding to the first pixel row C1 and a second sensing circuit SC2. In Figure 2, a second switch S2 is illustrated as connecting a sensing line of a pixel row corresponding to the first sensing circuit SC1 and the second sensing circuit SC2 adjacent to the first sensing circuit SC1, but The present invention is not limited to this. For example, a second switch S2 can be connected to a sensing line of a pixel row corresponding to the first sensing circuit SC1 and a sensing circuit not adjacent to the first sensing circuit SC1. An electrical signal a1 transmitted through the first sensing line SL1 is sensed by the first sensing circuit SC1 when the first switch S1 is closed, and the electrical signal a1 is sensed by the second sensing circuit SC2 when the second switch S2 is closed Measurement.

The first switch S1 operates in response to a first switch enable signal PS1, and the second switch S2 operates in response to a second switch enable signal PS2. The sensing data output unit 210 generates a first switch enable signal PS1 and a second switch enable signal PS2 to open or close the first switch S1 and the second switch S2. The sensing data output unit 210 can obtain (or measure) a sensing signal by opening or closing the first switch S1 and the second switch S2. The first switch enable signal PS1 and the second switch enable signal PS2 can be generated based on a scan signal input to a scan line of the display panel 100, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The first switch enable signal PS1 and the second switch enable signal PS2 can be provided by a controller other than the sensing data output unit 210.

In Figure 2, the first switch S1 and the second switch S2 are exemplified as transistors, but the present invention is not limited to this. The first switch S1 and the second switch S2 can be implemented in various circuit forms capable of providing a switching function.

Fig. 3 illustrates a state where the first switch S1 shown in Fig. 2 is closed.

FIG. 3 illustrates the state of the sensing device 200 in which the first switch S1 is closed in response to the first switch enable signal PS1 and the second switch S2 is opened in response to the second switch enable signal PS2.

According to an embodiment, the sensing device 200 senses electrical signals a1, a2,..., an of a plurality of pixels PX1, PX2,..., PXn included in a row. The sensing device 200 can repeat a process of sensing the electrical signals a1, a2,..., an of the plurality of pixels PX1, PX2,..., PXn included in a row for a plurality of rows. In this regard, the sensing device 200 can sense the electrical signal of each pixel PX of the display panel 100.

Referring to FIG. 3, when the first switch S1 is closed and the second switch S2 is open, the complex sensing circuit SC outputs sensing signals x1, x2, ..., xn. A sensing value of a sensing signal {xn} is determined by a sensing circuit {SCn} that senses an electrical signal {an} of a pixel {PXn}. For example, in Figure 3, one of the sensing values of the sensing signal x1 is determined by the first sensing circuit SC1 that senses the electrical signal a1 of the first pixel PX1, and one of the sensing signals x2 senses The value is determined by the second sensing circuit SC2 that senses the electrical signal a2 of the second pixel PX2. In Figure 3, a path for inputting electrical signals a1, a2, ..., am to the sensing circuits SC1, SC2, ..., SCn is illustrated as a dashed line.

Fig. 4 illustrates a state where the second switch S2 shown in Fig. 2 is closed.

FIG. 4 illustrates the state of the sensing device 200 in which the first switch S1 is opened in response to the first switch enable signal PS1 and the second switch S2 is closed in response to the second switch enable signal PS2.

Referring to FIG. 4, when the first switch S1 is open and the second switch S2 is closed, the sensing circuit SC outputs sensing signals y1, y2, yn-1. One sensing value of a sensing signal {yn-1} is determined by sensing one pixel {PXn-1}One of the telecommunication signals {an-1} One of the sensing circuits {SCn} is determined. For example, in Figure 4, one of the sensing values of the sensing signal y1 is determined by the second sensing circuit SC2 that senses the electrical signal a1 of the first pixel PX1, and one of the sensing signals y2 senses The value is determined by the third sensing circuit SC3 that senses the electrical signal a2 of the second pixel PX2. In Figure 4, a path for inputting electrical signals a1, a2,..., an-1 to the sensing circuits SC2, SC3,..., SCn is illustrated as a dashed line.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a method for compensating a sensing signal {xn} by calculating a characteristic change of each of the sensing circuits SC will be explained. The sensing data output unit 210 uses a sensing signal {xn} and a sensing signal {yn} to calculate a characteristic change of each sensing circuit SC.

When the characteristic change of each sensing circuit SC is calculated, one of the characteristic changes of the sensing circuit SC can be determined as a reference value. For example, one characteristic change of the first sensing circuit SC1 can be determined as a reference value, and thus other characteristic changes can be calculated based on the characteristic change of the first sensing circuit SC1. The sensing data output unit 210 can use the following equation 1 to calculate a characteristic change of each sensing circuit SC.

Equation 1 d[1]=0 d[i]=d[i-1]+y[i-1]-x[i-1],i=2,3,...,N

In Equation 1, d[i] represents a characteristic change of a sensing circuit SC. For example, d[1] represents a characteristic change of the first sensing circuit SC1, d[2] represents a characteristic change of the second sensing circuit SC2, and N represents the number of sensing circuits SC. When the characteristic of the first sensing circuit SC1 becomes a reference for calculating a change, d1 can be set to 0.

Referring to Equation 1, the same electrical signal is measured by two sensing circuits SC, and a difference in the measurement result is used to calculate a characteristic change between the two sensing circuits SC. For example, the same electrical signal a1 is measured by two sensing circuits SC1 and SC2, and the result is x1 and y1. Use two senses The difference between the results of the circuits SC1 and SC2 (which is y1-x1) is used to calculate a characteristic change d2 between the first sensing circuit SC1 and the second sensing circuit SC2. In addition, the same electrical signal a2 is measured by the two sensing circuits SC2 and SC3, and the results are x2 and y2. The difference between the results of the two sensing circuits SC2 and SC3 (which is y2-x2) is used to calculate a characteristic change between the second sensing circuit SC2 and the third sensing circuit SC3. The calculated change between the second sensing circuit SC2 and the third sensing circuit SC3 is added to d2 to calculate a characteristic change d3 between the first sensing circuit SC1 and the third sensing circuit SC3.

In Equation 1, a subtraction is used to calculate a characteristic change of a sensing circuit SC, but the invention is not limited to this. The sensing data output unit 210 can use various suitable calculation methods and a combination thereof to obtain a characteristic change of a sensing circuit SC.

When a characteristic change is calculated according to Equation 1, the sensing data output unit 210 uses Equation 2 for a sensing signal {xn} to compensate for an error caused by the characteristic change of the sensing circuit SC.

Equation 2 x ' [i]=x[i]-d[i],i=1,2,...,n

The x'[i] in Equation 2 is a final sensing data. For the final sensing data, an error caused by a characteristic change of a sensing circuit SC has been compensated. In FIGS. 2 to 4, x'[1] is the sensing data of the first pixel PX1, and x'[2] is the sensing data of the second pixel PX2. The n system in Equation 2 is the number of pixel rows. Equations 1 and 2 are applied to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, and the number of sensing circuits SC in FIGS. 2 to 4 is the same as the number of pixel rows, that is, n=N.

Figure 5 illustrates another embodiment of the sensing device 200.

Referring to FIG. 5, according to another embodiment, the sensing device 200 may include a plurality of sensing circuits SC, a plurality of first switches S1, and a plurality of second switches S2. The sensing device 200 shown in FIG. 5 is another embodiment of the sensing device 200 shown in FIG. 2, and therefore, the description of the same components is the same or substantially the same as that described in FIG. 2.

According to another embodiment, when the number of sensing circuits SC is limited by space and cost, the sensing device 200 may have a sensing circuit SC corresponding to a plurality of pixel rows. For example, a sensing circuit SC may correspond to k pixel rows arranged one after another. The above technical features can also be applied. In Figure 5, a single sensing circuit SC corresponds to three pixel rows, that is, in this article, k is 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

Referring to FIG. 5, a first sensing circuit SC1 corresponds to a first pixel row C1, a second pixel row C2 to a third pixel row C3, and a second sensing circuit SC2 corresponds to a fourth pixel row C4 , A fifth pixel row C5 to a sixth pixel row C6. Each of the sensing circuits SC obtains the corresponding electrical signals of the pixels PX contained in the pixel rows. For example, the first sensing circuit SC1 obtains an electrical signal a1 of a first pixel PX1 included in the first pixel row C1, and an electrical signal a second pixel PX2 included in the second pixel row C2 No. a2, and a third pixel PX3 included in the third pixel row C3 is an electrical signal a3. A second sensing circuit SC2 obtains an electrical signal a4 of a fourth pixel PX4 included in the fourth pixel row C4, an electrical signal a5 of a fifth pixel PX5 included in the fifth pixel row C5, And an electrical signal a6 of a sixth pixel PX6 included in the sixth pixel row C6.

In order to sense a plurality of electrical signals (e.g., electrical signals a1, a2, and a3) by a single sensing circuit SC (e.g., the first sensing circuit SC1), the sensing circuit SC may further include the ability to classify and obtain the electrical signals Number of another circuit. For example, the sensing circuit SC may include a multiplexer, but the invention is not limited to this.

A first switch S1 and a second switch S2 are connected to a sensing line SL and a sensing circuit SC. The first switch S1 connects the plurality of sensing lines SL corresponding to the plurality of pixel rows to one of the sensing circuits SC corresponding to the pixel rows. The second switch S2 connects the plurality of sensing lines SL corresponding to the pixel rows to the sensing circuit SC adjacent to the sensing circuit SC corresponding to the pixel rows.

Referring to FIG. 5, as an example, the first switch S1 connects each of the sensing lines SL corresponding to the first row C1 to the k-th row Ck to the first sensing circuit SC1. In addition, the first switch S1 connects each of the sensing lines SL corresponding to the k+1th row Ck+1 to the 2kth row C2k to the second sensing circuit SC2.

Referring to FIG. 5, the second switch S2 connects at least one of the sensing lines SL corresponding to the first row C1 to the k-th row Ck to the second sensing circuit SC2. The second switch S2 shown in FIG. 5 connects the first sensing line SL1 corresponding to the first pixel row C1 among the sensing lines SL corresponding to the first pixel row C1 to the k-th pixel row Ck to the second sensing circuit SC2. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

The sensing device 200 may also include a plurality of second switches S2, and the second switches S2 connect each of the sensing lines SL1, SL2, and SL3 to the second sensing circuit SC2.

Referring to FIG. 5, the electrical signal a1 of the first pixel PX1 transmitted through the sensing line SL1 corresponding to the first pixel row C1 is sensed by the first sensing circuit SC1 when the first switch S1 is closed, and is sensed by the first sensing circuit SC1 when the second switch When S2 is closed, it is sensed by the second sensing circuit SC2. In this regard, the electrical signal a1 is sensed by two different sensing circuits SC1 and SC2.

Fig. 6 illustrates a state where the first switch S1 shown in Fig. 5 is closed.

Referring to FIG. 6, the sensing device 200 makes the first switch S1 closed in response to the first switch enable signal PS1 and makes the second switch S2 open in response to the second switch enable signal PS2.

According to another embodiment, the sensing device 200 performs a process of sensing the electrical signals a1, a2,..., and an of the pixels PX1, PX2,..., and PXn included in a row. The sensing device 200 can repeat the aforementioned process for a plurality of columns. In this regard, the electrical signal can be sensed for each pixel PX included in the display panel 100.

Referring to FIG. 6, when the first switch S1 is closed and the second switch S2 is open, the sensing circuit SC outputs sensing signals x1, x2, ..., and xn by sensing the electrical signals a1, a2, ..., and an. A sensed value of a sensing signal {xn} is determined by a sensing circuit {SC[(n-1)/k]+1} that senses a pixel {PXn}, an electrical signal {an} ( Among them, [(n-1)/k] is a step function (n-1)/k). Refer to Figure 6, feeling A sensing value of the sensing signal x1 is determined by the first sensing circuit SC1 that senses the electrical signal a1 of the first pixel PX1, and a sensing value of the sensing signal x2 is determined by sensing the second pixel PX2 The first sensing circuit SC1 of the electrical signal a2 is determined. In FIG. 6, paths for inputting electrical signals a1, a2,..., and an to the sensing circuits SC1, SC2,..., and SC[(n-1)/k]+1 are illustrated as dashed lines.

In some embodiments, each of the sensing circuits SC can obtain multiple electrical signals and can output multiple sense signals. For example, the first sensing circuit SC1 obtains complex electrical signals a1, a2, and a3, and outputs complex sensing signals x1, x2, and x3.

Fig. 7 illustrates a state where the second switch S2 shown in Fig. 5 is closed.

Referring to FIG. 7, the sensing device 200 is illustrated, in which the first switch S1 is opened in response to the first switch enable signal PS1 and the second switch S2 is closed in response to the second switch enable signal PS2.

Referring to Figure 7, when the first switch S1 is open and the second switch S2 is closed, the sensing circuits SC output sensing signals y1, y2, ... and y[(n-1)/k]. A sensing signal {y[(n-1)/k]} is for sensing a pixel {PXn-2}, an electrical signal {an-2}, and a sensing circuit {SC[(n-1) /k]+1} One of the sensed values. For example, the sensing value of the sensing signal y1 is determined by the second sensing circuit SC2 that senses the electrical signal a1 of the first pixel PX1. In FIG. 7, a path for inputting the electrical signal a1 of the first pixel PX1 to the second sensing circuit SC2 is illustrated as a dotted line.

With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, a method for compensating the sensing signal {xn} by calculating the characteristic change of the sensing circuit SC is described. The sensing data output unit 210 uses the sensing signal {xn} and the sensing signal {yn} to calculate the characteristic change of each sensing circuit SC.

When calculating the characteristic change of the sensing circuit SC, a characteristic of a sensing circuit (for example, a predetermined sensing circuit) SC can be determined as a reference. For example, the characteristic changes of other sensing circuits SC can be calculated based on the characteristics of the first sensing circuit SC1 used as a reference. The sensing data output unit 210 can calculate the characteristic change of each sensing circuit SC according to Equation 3 below.

Equation 3 d[1]=0 d[i]=d[i-1]+y[k(i-1)+1]-x[k(i-1)+1],i=2,3, ...,N

In Equation 3, d[i] is the characteristic change of the sensing circuit SC[i]. For example, d[1] is the characteristic change of the first sensing circuit SC1, and d[2] is the characteristic change of the second sensing circuit SC2. N is the number of sensing circuits SC. When calculating a change by setting the characteristics of the first sensing circuit SC1 as a reference, d1 is set to 0.

Referring to Equation 3, the sensing data output unit 210 calculates the characteristic change between the two sensing circuits SC based on the difference between the measurement results obtained by using the two sensing circuits SC to measure the same electrical signal. For example, the electrical signal a1 is measured by the two sensing circuits SC1 and SC2, and the measurement results x1 and y1 are obtained. The difference y1-x1 between the measurement results is used to calculate the characteristic change d2 between the first sensing circuit SC1 and the second sensing circuit SC2.

Equation 3 shows how the sensing device 200 illustrated in FIG. 5 to FIG. 7 calculates the characteristic change of the sensing circuit SC. When a structure of a sensing device 200 is modified, Equation 3 can also be changed.

The sensing data output unit 210 compensates the characteristic change of the sensing circuit SC for the sensing signal {xn} according to Equation 4 below.

Equation 4x ' [i]=x[i],i=1,2,...,kx ' [i]=x[i]-d[2],i=k+1,k+2,.. .,2k x ' [i]=x[i]-d[3],i=2k+1,2k+2,...,3k x ' [i]=x[i]-d[N], i=n-k+1,n-k+2,...,n

In Equation 4, x'[i] is the final sensing data. In the final sensing data, an error caused by the characteristic change of the sensing circuit SC has been compensated. In Figures 5 to 7, x'[1] is the sensing data of the first pixel PX1, and x'[2] is the sensing data of the second pixel PX2. Figures 5 to 7 illustrate the case where k is 3, and therefore, equation 5 can be obtained by substituting k=3 into equation 4.

Equation 5x ' [i]=x[i],i=1,2,3 x ' [i]=x[i]-d[2],i=4,5,6 x ' [i]=x[ i]-d[3],i=7,8,9 x ' [i]=x[i]-d[N],i=n-2,n-1,n

FIG. 8 illustrates a sensing device 200 according to another embodiment.

A second switch S2 connects any one of the sensing lines SL1, SL2, and SL3 of the plurality of rows C1, C2, and C3 corresponding to a first sensing circuit SC1 to a second sensing circuit SC2. In FIGS. 5 to 7, the second switch S2 connects the first sensing line SL1 among the sensing lines SL1, SL2, and SL3 of the pixel rows C1, C2, and C3 corresponding to the first sensing circuit SC1 to The second sensing circuit SC2. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as illustrated in Figure 8, the second switch S2 can connect the third sensing line SL3 to the second sensing circuit SC2.

Referring to FIG. 8, the sensing device 200 may further include a dummy switch DS. The dummy switch DS is connected to the sensing line SL which is not connected to the second switch S2. The load of the dummy switch DS applied to the sensing line SL may be the same or substantially the same as the load of the second switch S2. When some of the sensing lines SL are connected to the second switch S2 and the other sensing lines SL are not connected to the second switch S2, they are connected to the second switch S2 The load of the sensing line SL and other sensing lines SL that are not connected to the second switch S2 become different, and therefore, an error will be generated when an electrical signal is sensed. By including the dummy switch DS, according to another embodiment, the sensing device 200 can generate the same or substantially the same load on each of the sensing lines SL, and sense a plurality of electrical signals to calculate the correct value.

As illustrated in Figure 8, one end of the dummy switch DS can be connected to the sensing line SL, and the other end of the dummy switch DS can be floating. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing how to obtain sensing data according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 9, in operation 91, the sensing device 200 uses the first sensing circuit to obtain the sensing signal x1 of the first pixel included in the first pixel row, and uses the sensing signal x1 adjacent to the first sensing circuit The second sensing circuit obtains the sensing signal x2 of the second pixel contained in the second pixel row.

In operation 92, the sensing device 200 uses the second sensing circuit to obtain the sensing signal y1 of the first pixel.

In operation 93, the sensing device 200 generates sensing data x'1 or x'2 by referring to an error between the sensing signal y1 and the sensing signal x1, and the sensing data x'1 or x'2 is The compensated version of the sensing signal x1 or x2.

Although not shown in FIG. 9, the sensing device 200 can use the sensing data to generate a parameter for compensating for the characteristic change of the pixel PX, and can store the parameter in a memory or output the parameter.

According to one of the above embodiments, the sensing device 200 may be formed as a separate device spaced from the display panel 100, or may be integrated with the display panel 100 when it is formed on the same substrate as the display panel 100. At least part of the functions of the aforementioned sensing data output unit 210 can be performed by a controller (not shown) that controls a display of the display panel 100. The sensing data output unit 210 can be driven according to the control signal provided by the controller of the display panel 100.

The sensing data described in the foregoing embodiment can be used to compensate the image data by using the characteristic change of each pixel PX. For example, when a same image signal is applied to each pixel PX of the display panel 100 and the sensing data of each pixel PX is obtained, the difference between the sensing data can correspond to the characteristic change of the pixel PX. The characteristic change of the pixel PX may be caused by a characteristic change of a transistor included in the pixel PX or caused by a difference in the degree of deterioration of the pixel PX.

According to an embodiment, the display device can use the sensing data to generate a parameter that compensates for a characteristic change of each pixel PX, and use the parameter to compensate an image signal input to the display panel 100. In this regard, it is possible to reduce a mura effect caused by the characteristic change of each pixel PX.

According to an embodiment, the step of acquiring sensor data can be executed when an event (for example, a preset event) in a display device is detected or can be manually executed by a user's trigger. For example, the event can be an on/off state of a display device, but the invention is not limited to this. When the sensing data is obtained, the sensing data can be stored in a memory of the display device. A parameter obtained after processing the sensing data and used to compensate for a change in the PX of each pixel can also be stored in the memory. This parameter can be used by a controller of the display device to compensate for an image signal and can be updated periodically or randomly by the sensing device 200.

In the above embodiment, when calculating a characteristic change between the sensing circuits SC, the difference between the values obtained when using each of the two sensing circuits SC to measure the same electrical signal is used, for example , Uses a subtraction calculation, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a ratio of the measured values of the two sensing circuits SC with respect to the same electrical signal can be used to calculate the characteristic change between the sensing circuits SC. Various suitable calculation methods can be used to define a characteristic change between the sensing circuits SC.

According to the foregoing embodiment, the step of obtaining sensing data can be implemented as an executable program, and can be executed by a general-purpose digital computer using a computer-readable recording medium to run the program. Examples of the computer-readable medium include magnetic storage media (for example, read only memory) memories; ROMs), floppy disks or hard disks), optically readable media (for example, compact disk-read only memories (CD-ROMs) or digital versatile disks (DVDs)) Wait for storage media.

As described above, according to one or more of the above exemplary embodiments, according to one embodiment, a sensing device, a display device, and a method for sensing an electrical signal obtain a sensing circuit for sensing an electrical signal One of the characteristics changes. According to an embodiment, the sensing device, the display device, and the method of sensing electrical signals obtain correct sensing data in which an error caused by the characteristic change of the sensing circuit is removed.

It should be understood that the exemplary embodiments described herein should be regarded as merely illustrative and not restrictive. The description of the features or aspects within each exemplary embodiment should generally be regarded as being applicable to other similar features or aspects in other exemplary embodiments. Although one or more exemplary embodiments have been described with reference to the figures, those with ordinary knowledge in the art will understand that various forms and details of the present invention can be changed without departing from the scope of the following patent applications and their The spirit and scope defined by equivalent content.

100: display panel

200: sensing device

210: Sensing data output unit

PX: pixel

SC: Sensing circuit

SL: Sensing line

Claims (14)

A sensing device for sensing a plurality of electrical signals of a plurality of pixels arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows. The sensing device includes: a plurality of sensing circuits for passing through the plurality of sensing circuits respectively corresponding to the pixels A plurality of sensing lines to sense the electrical signals, and the plurality of sensing circuits include: a first sensing circuit corresponding to a first pixel row of the rows of the pixels; and a second sensing A circuit corresponding to one of the second pixel rows of the rows of the pixels and different from the first sensing circuit; a first primary switch for connecting the sensing lines corresponding to the first pixel row A first sensing line to the first sensing circuit; a second primary switch for connecting a second sensing line corresponding to the second pixel row among the sensing lines to the second sensing circuit; and A first secondary switch is used to connect the first sensing line to the second sensing circuit. The sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the second sensing circuit is adjacent to the first sensing circuit. The sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the second pixel rows are adjacent to the first pixel row. A sensing device for sensing a plurality of electrical signals of a plurality of pixels arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows. The sensing device includes: a plurality of sensing circuits for passing through the plurality of sensing circuits respectively corresponding to the pixels A plurality of sensing lines are arranged to sense the electrical signals, and the plurality of sensing circuits include: A first sensing circuit corresponding to the k-th pixel row of the rows of the pixels; and a second sensing circuit corresponding to the k+1 to 2k-th pixel rows of the rows of the pixels The first to the k-th primary switches are used to connect the first to k-th sensing lines corresponding to the first to k-th pixel rows and the first to k-th sensing lines to the first to k-th pixel rows, respectively, among the sensing lines. The first sensing circuit; k+1 to 2k primary switches for connecting the k+1 to 2k sensing lines corresponding to the k+1 to 2k pixel rows respectively among the sensing lines To the second sensing circuit; and a first secondary switch for connecting one of the first to k-th sensing lines to the second sensing circuit. The sensing device according to claim 4, further comprising: at least one dummy switch connected to a part of the first to k-th sensing lines, wherein the part of the first to k-th sensing lines is not connected to the second Sensing circuit. The sensing device according to claim 5, wherein a load of the dummy switch is the same as a load of the first secondary switch. The sensing device according to claim 1, wherein each of the sensing circuits includes an analog-to-digital converter, and wherein the electrical signals are the voltages of the light-emitting devices of the pixels. The sensing device according to claim 1, wherein each of the sensing circuits includes: An integrator; and an analog-digital converter, and the electrical signals are the driving currents of the light-emitting devices of the pixels. A display device includes: a display panel, including: a plurality of pixels arranged in a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows; and a plurality of sensing lines respectively corresponding to the rows of the pixel; and a sensing device for sensing Detecting the plurality of electrical signals of the pixels, wherein the sensing device includes: a plurality of sensing circuits for sensing the electrical signals through the sensing lines respectively corresponding to the rows of the pixels, the The plurality of sensing circuits include: a first sensing circuit corresponding to one of the rows of the pixels, a first pixel row; and a second sensing circuit, corresponding to one of the rows of the pixels The second pixel row is different from the first sensing circuit; a first primary switch for connecting a first sensing line corresponding to the first pixel row among the sensing lines to the first sensing circuit A second primary switch for connecting a second sensing line corresponding to the second pixel row among the sensing lines to the second sensing circuit; and a first secondary switch for connecting the first The sensing line is connected to the second sensing circuit. A method of using a sensing device to sense a plurality of electrical signals of a plurality of pixels arranged in a plurality of columns and rows, the sensing device comprising: a plurality of sensing circuits, The sensing circuits obtain the electrical signals of the pixels through the plurality of sensing lines corresponding to the rows of the pixels, and the sensing circuits include: a first sensing circuit corresponding to the pixels A first pixel row of one of the rows of pixels; and a second sensing circuit corresponding to a second pixel row of the rows of pixels and different from the first sensing circuit; a first A primary switch for connecting a first sensing line of the sensing lines corresponding to the first pixel row to the first sensing circuit; a second primary switch for connecting the sensing lines with the second The pixel row corresponds to a second sensing line to the second sensing circuit; and a first secondary switch for connecting the first sensing line to the second sensing circuit, the method includes: by using the first A sensing circuit senses an electrical signal transmitted by the first primary switch from one of the pixels in a first pixel row to obtain a sensing signal x1; by using the second The sensing circuit senses the electrical signal transmitted from the first pixel by the first secondary switch to obtain a sensing signal y1; and calculates based on a difference between the sensing signal x1 and the sensing signal y1 A characteristic change d between the first sensing circuit and the second sensing circuit. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: sensing the second pixel transmitted from one of the pixels in a second pixel row by the second primary switch by using the second sensing circuit A telecommunication signal to obtain a sensing signal x2; and The characteristic change d is used to compensate the sensing signal x1 or the sensing signal x2. The method according to claim 11, wherein the compensating the sensing signal x1 or the sensing signal x2 includes compensating the sensing signal x2, and the method further includes: outputting the sensing signal x1 as the first pixel A sensing data; and outputting a compensated sensing signal x'2 as a sensing data of the second pixel. The method according to claim 11, wherein the second pixel row is adjacent to the first pixel row, and wherein the second sensing circuit is adjacent to the first sensing circuit. The method according to claim 10, wherein in the step of obtaining the sensing signal x1, the sensing signal x1 is obtained when the first primary switch is closed and the first secondary switch is open, and wherein In the step of obtaining the sensing signal y1, the sensing signal y1 is obtained when the first primary switch and the second primary switch are opened and the first secondary switch is closed.

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